Sugary (Now With Added Sweetness!)

When I knit Sugary, I was still pregnant, and as much as I tried I couldn't even begin to picture the little girl who would eventually wear it, or imagine what she would be like. All I had was excitement over the little life I was growing and the anticipation of meeting her for the first time. I knew she would eventually be able to wear this top, but when? And how would she look in it?

I waited to try it on her for the first time until we were amongst the knitty gals (it seemed only appropriate), and wouldn't you know, it fits!

Sugary, as modeled by Bean (a smidge under 8 weeks at the time)

This makes my heart smile on so many levels. Knitting gifts with friends or family in mind always makes me happy. Seeing the recipient wear or use the items makes me even happier. Knitting a sweater for my own child and then seeing her in it? Well that just bumps up the happiness quotient to an all time high!

Bean, now two months old, is the most scrumptious morsel of sweetness- beyond anything I could have imagined. She brings indescribable amounts of joy to my life...and she looks pretty darned cute in handknits, too!

Thanks Bean, for making mommy's knitting look good. :)

FO: Sugary

I couldn't think to knit anything for Bean until I knew whether I would be knitting for a little boy bean or a little girl bean. Then, once we found out, I was in the throws of (happily) knitting for friends' babies. And so it came to be that I finally got around to knitting for my own. First garment for Bean knit by me: check! Just looking at its stripey goodness makes me happy. :)

Sugary*
Pattern: Country Kiddie by Pixie Purls (Ravlink)
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Cotton Multiringel in 2210 (45 % Cotton, 42 % Pure New Wool, 13 % Polyamide) (Ravlink) - less than one skein
Needles: US3

This is a seamless, top-down baby tee. Super fast, super easy, super cute. There. You know me, I'm not a fan of the plain stockinette, but thankfully babies are mini, so I was able to get through this without a problem. Plus, I'm easily amused, so the stripes kept me interest. It's also a great project for stash-busting extra sock yarn. If you have any babies to knit for, you should make one of these, seriously.

I've officially entered my third trimester, so just about 3 more months until Bean is here. I can't wait to see her in this!

* Named because the colors remind me of some kind of sweet confection, and also because I knit this through testing for and diagnosis of gestational diabetes. I'm okay, we're okay, but I will be on dietary restrictions and undergoing blood glucose monitoring for the rest of my pregnancy to ensure that my levels remain under control. This involves omitting refined sugars and carbs, carefully measuring out all my meals and snacks, calculating my (complex) carb intake, and testing my blood four times a day. It's time consuming and, let's face it, a bit of a drag (I'm not gonna lie), but as long as it keeps me and Bean healthy, I will gladly do it! (And I will be looking forward to that first postpartum cupcake**!)

** Marnie thinks Postpartum Cupcake would be a good band name. I totally agree!

Let the Bean knitting commence!

So we know I've been all about the baby knits as of late, but I had been concentrating my efforts on knitting baby gifts for friends' babies, not my own. Until now. So exciting! I'm planning to knit a February Baby Sweater for her soon, but I'm starting out with a cute little tee. The pattern is Country Kiddie (Ravlink) by Pixie Purls and the yarn is (now discontinued) Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton Multiringel.

I bought this yarn - I don't even know when, but it was years ago - from Knit Cafe. I fell in love with it on sight and it's been sitting patiently in le stash all this time, just waiting for the perfect project to be paired with. Many months ago, I came across this pattern on Ravelry and bookmarked it immediately. A cute, simple baby top, that you can knit with a small amount of sock yarn (of which I have a plethora) - I knew it was only a matter of time before I would knit one of these for someone. Little did I know it would be for my little one. But wouldn't you know, everything fell into place and I think it's the perfect coming together of pattern and yarn for a very special recipient. I'm really enjoying this project for all of the above reasons. The colors are bright and cheery, the stripes keep my interest, and picturing little Bean wearing it one day makes fills me with happiness.

I must have been really inspired by this garment over the weekend, because at our weekly trip to the market yesterday, I picked up a colorful assortment of gerber daisies in much of the same colors.

Oh and speaking of babies and knitted gifts for friends, you may remember that I knitted a toy snail for Julia's baby shower last year. Well, Griffin is now 6 months old, and I'm overjoyed to know that he loves Snailsace- he even *reads* to him! Yay!

Honestly, knitting for babies - whether for your friends' or your own - does it get any better? I really think not!